Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
- Mark 6:7
 
Jesus sent the Twelve out on an experiential learning trip and a journey to establish new beachheads of the kingdom of God. And he sent them out two by two.
 
Why didn’t Jesus send them out as one big group? Surely it would have been safer to travel as a pack. They went to places where they might face persecution or rejection. But a mob might be more hesitant to attack a dozen passionate revolutionaries.
 
And, in a way, a dozen disciples might have been “more effective” in their day-to-day work than only a pair. The stronger speakers could preach and those who were more reserved could run logistics: “One body, many parts” as one New Testament writer would later say. A bigger group might have allowed for not only a more efficient division of labor, but might also have attracted more attention in these small towns.
 
But Jesus sent them out two by two.
 
He didn’t let concerns for safety steer the entire mission. The Christian life is wonderful and beautiful, but it isn’t safe. Jesus would experience rejection (as we saw yesterday) and even death, but he considered it all worthwhile because he knew the joy that poured into the world in his wake. He calls his followers to join him even in risk-taking.
 
And he didn’t let the demands of efficiency and growth have the only say. Traveling in pairs meant that the disciples could be hosted in one home in these villages (whereas a dozen disciples would have needed different accommodations), developing deeper relationships with local “insiders,” and planting the seeds for local leadership of the emerging Jesus movement. On top of that, traveling in smaller groups gave more disciples more ministry experience, which they would need as the church rapidly grew just a few years later.
 
Tomorrow, we’ll look at why Jesus didn’t send his disciples out on their own.
 
But today we want to encourage you to reflect:
 

• Where in your life are you tempted to let concerns for safety have too much power in your heart?

• Where in your life are you tempted to let demands for efficiency and growth have too much control over your decision-making?

• Where might Jesus be calling you to make an adjustment today?